7.30.2009

Dying for an elevator!

This cover makes me tired. Is there really a building in existence with this many stairs?? I would pass out and die bringing home groceries (imagine lugging a gallon of milk and a 12 pack of soda up this staircase!). In fact, I'd probably stay at a hotel most nights to avoid the stairs. Well, actually, recognizing my own limitations (read: laziness), I'd NEVER get an apartment in such a building. It reminds me of the staircase in the apartment in Glasgow that the characters of Shallow Grave shared.You can sort of see it in the bottom half of this movie poster.

But that was only probably 3 floors. This looks like 15 or so.

Also, does it seem to anyone else that the "Mary Jane Clark" font is strikingly similar to the font used for Mary Higgins Clark's books? Such as:

12 comments:

I've always found the Mary Jane Clark, Mary Higgins Clark font similarities a pain. They were always getting interfiled on the library shelves, and then toss Carol Higgins Clark into the mess for more fun. Makes me wonder if Mary Jane Clark, cleverly changed her last name for marketing purposes.

i'm thinking the similarities between words is guiding your perception about the similarity between these typefaces. because in no sense is trajan "strikingly" like a bodoni.

that's the thing about type classification, at first, all typefaces look alike. but then you notice that one has super contrast between thicks and thins and extremely flat serifs. the other has serifs that are longer in one direction than the other, and is missing half the serifs in letters such as N and M. just look at the R in each sample--what's similar there?

yeah, apart from general similarities (both are serifs, both are latin letterforms) these fonts are only tied together by their placement on these covers and the words in the names of the authors.

While I agree that there're a lot of subtle differenced between typefaces, I have to agree with my esteemed colleague, BikerPuppy, in pointing out that to the layperson THOSE COVERS LOOK MIGHTY SIMILAR!!!! Whew, I feel better.

i was just responding to the question posed: "does it seem to anyone else that the "Mary Jane Clark" font is strikingly similar to the font used for Mary Higgins Clark's books?"

i agree with you about the cover in general being mighty similar. but i think the layout carries that more than the font. and the names clinch it. so what i was saying is that the OTHER similarities give the same impression about the fonts.

I wonder if this is meant to be reminiscent of the oval staircase in the US Supreme Court. The oval staircase there does two spirals per floor (they have very, very high ceilings at the court), from basement to the third floor.

There aren't that many oval staircases in the world.

While the railing in this cover is different, it's very reminiscent of the rosettes on the Supreme Court ceiling.

I don't know who in marketing, however, would have had occasion to look DOWN the oval staircase like that--you have to be with an employee of the Court to get up there--or how many of them could channel the ceiling rosettes.

So it was a very, very evocative cover for me that made me instantly think "high stakes courtroom drama."Doubt if it would have that effect for many other people.

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Just what, exactly, is Judge a Book by its Cover?

I worked in a public library. I saw literally thousands of books every week; the good, the bad, and the truly hideous. These are the covers from the latter category. Joining me (Maughta) is the ever-popular pinch hitter (and handy husband) DocTurtle.

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